AGENCY: Salt Lake County (Utah). County Commission
SERIES: 3790
TITLE: Minutes
DATES: i 1852-1972.
ARRANGEMENT: Chronological by date.
DESCRIPTION: The County Commission serves as the governing body that organizes and maintains county services and that manages all county business and property. Minutes are kept by the County Clerk and include both summaries of topics discussed during the meetings and a listing of all orders and decisions made by the board.
Minute books were first kept by the Salt Lake County Court, which in territorial days consisted of the Probate Judge and two selectmen. With statehood in 1896 the court was renamed the Salt Lake County Commission, and the probate judge and selectmen were replaced by three commissioners.
During the territorial years, 1852-1896, the predominant activities discussed in the minutes involved the laying out of roads and irrigation canals; the creation and supervision of election and school districts; providing for the poor and the insane; and locating sites for the erection of public buildings. They also levied property taxes, paid bills and wages, and supervised the operation of county government.
Their intimate involvement in the operation of individual agencies is shown by the amount of detail in the minutes about the appointment of officials and about personnel hiring, salary, and retention decisions. After 1884 they were responsible for issuing business licenses, including franchises for utilities and transit systems. Provision was also made that year for them to approve the incorporation of towns.
These activities continue to be recorded in the minutes of the twentieth century. As county government grew during this time, these functions expanded to include the development of water and sewage systems, the coordination of police and fire protection, the supervision of private contractors and their work on county projects and housing subdivisions, and the provision of a wide variety of other social services. After 1941 zoning issues also became an important topic in the minutes.
The County Commission was dissolved and a County Council form of government, with a county mayor and council, was established in 2001.
RETENTION
DISPOSITION
RETENTION AND DISPOSITION AUTHORIZATION
Retention and disposition for this series is proposed and has not yet been approved.
FORMAT MANAGEMENT
Paper: Retain in Agency Record Center permanently after being microfilmed.
Microfilm master: For records beginning in 1852 and continuing to the present. Retain in State Archives permanently.
Microfilm duplicate: For records beginning in 1851 through 1972. Retain in Agency Record Center permanently.
Microfilm duplicate: For records beginning in 1851 through 1972. Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
APPRAISAL
Administrative Historical
These records have evidentiary value and serve as a history of board and committee actions. They contain minutes of open committee and board meetings as required by UCA 52-4-7. (2005) Records may also include agenda, recordings, recordings and minutes of closed portions of meetings, and other supporting documentation.
PRIMARY DESIGNATION
Public